Early in the 2025 season, with the Eels fighting tooth and nail to drag themselves off the bottom of the table, Jason Ryles spoke about seeing “green shoots” in their performances.
By the end of the 2025 season, the Eels have finished with 10 wins, including over finals bound teams in the Broncos, Roosters and Warriors.
The green shoots that were seen at the start of the year have grown into a burgeoning forest as the youngsters learnt their trade in the crucible of the NRL and Mitchell Moses returned.
The eye test has provided plenty of evidence to bolster those claims, but the stats back them up.
To start with, let’s look at the basics. The 2 below tables simply plot the points scored and conceded across the season per game.
No, your eyes don’t deceive you. Across the season, the average points scored has risen, while the points conceded have declined.
See below for a line of best fit.
What does this mean? Simply put, the longer the season went, the better the Eels got. Which is somewhat at odds with the Brad Arthur era, with Parramatta often flying out of the gates before hitting turbulence just after the Origin period and then limping towards the end of the season.
Now let’s get a little granular. These next sets of column graphs are going to break the season up into groups of 3 consecutive matches.
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said he would usually watch his next opponent’s 3 most recent matches to get an insight into their most common tactics, personnel and approaches. Going back any further would likely mean he’d be looking at footage that was nigh on useless such is the nature of highly competitive professional sport.
You’ve read HoE talking about Kaizen throughout the year. The Japanese belief of continuous, positive improvement. It’s been adopted by the club as evidenced by a Kaizen banner that has been spotted in the sheds before games and which is on the walls of the Centre of Excellence.
In the 3 game averages, each golden column represents a 3 game period with at least one win. The blue column is a 3 game period without a win and the red column is 3 consecutive wins.
Following the opening month of the competition where the Eels went winless, they then became a somewhat more consistent team, winning 10 from 20. Only one period - against the Dragons, Panthers and Raiders just after mid-season, did they go 3 straight games without a win.
Juxtapose that with last season when the mid-point of the year was horrendous as the Eels lost 11 from 12.
The final 6 weeks of the season is perhaps the most positive for the Eels with their average points conceded dropping to 16 per game, while their attack fired as they averaged 27.8 points per game. The type of numbers that land you in the top 4.
As Jason Ryles said in his final press conference for the year, now it's up to them to return to pre-season and continue that improvement so the final 6 weeks of the season becomes the norm rather than the exception.
Replies
The nsw schoolboy finals was won by St Patties. The halfback was easily the man of the match. He is signed by Dragons.
Eels players Riley Davis (1) with electric speed and Chris Petrus (12) had good games. Bamblett (6), Johnasson (4) and Nunn (8) were also in this team.
Davis looks like moses striding out. Petrus looks a gun. Whats happening with polley? Is he injured?
Polley is only 17. His school team didn't make the final. He will be in SG ball next year. He is very young so still a couple years away from NRL
Whats the chance he sees 2026 out in Flegg? I mean Talagi turned 18 this year and is in Cup, could it be the same for Polley?
Also, i have heard comparisons to Cam Murray, are those spot on EA? Could he be an edge or is he middle only?
I think I started those Cam Murray comparisons lol. He can play edge or middle at a high level so really depends what the club and Polley want themselves.
Difference between Polley and the likes of Talagi & Petrus is their size. Polley is much smaller. No doubt he has the skills and effort to advance through the grades quickly. The deciding factor will be if his body develops fast enough to handle the physicality given his smaller size.
I remember i made a claim for Cam Murray to play Origin and got told he is too small. Now nobody notices. Polley will be the same it seems. Size will not affect him one bit. Could see him in Cup in late 2026? I mean Talagi got there.
SG Ball next year has way too many outside backs to pick from that some may start in Flegg.
The 7 looks to be a special talent. Im getting Slater vibes from Davis
I have an update here after I had a suggestion from someone at the Ken Thornett Medal to break the season down into thirds. First third is basically without Moses, then into the Origin period before finishing with what you'd call our full strength team for 2025.
Thats a very detailed and positive look at it.
In the end we were 3 losses from the 8 i can think of 3 games vs Rabbits, Dolphins,Panthers where our youthful team just couldn't execute there were moments in other games too.
We are better from the experience now we need to close the gap on our best and worst games even more. I think there is something positive happening at the club.
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